Steel rack



Patented Apr. 9, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE 2,398,153 l STEEL RACK Gordon A. Nielsen, Piedmont, Calif.

Application March 19, 1945, serial No. 583,403

(cl. 2li- 182) 2 Claims.

The present invention 'relates to racks of the kind generally employed for storing classified steel shapes, such as rods, strips and the like.

A well known form of such rack consists essentially of a plurality of reticolato frameworks arranged in tandem so that each of the sizes and shapes of rods, strips or the like may be supported by at least two such frameworks 'and separated from al1 other sizes and shapes by' vertical and transverse members constituting the several frameworks. This arrangement is such that a few pieces of any desired size or shape may be easily withdrawn by endwise movement thereof, as required.

In order to facilitate reloading of such racks it has been proposed heretofore to provide for displacement or complete removal of each of the horizontal members spanning adjacent vertical members of the frameworks of such racks, thus permitting an overhead crane to lower a large number of pieces of any desired size `or shape into position upon any selected one of the horizontal members after al1 such members above it have been displaced or completely removed. It is much more economical to replenish an eX- hausted stock in this Way than by inserting pieces by endwise movement, even though overlying stocks must be removed by the crane, or otherwise in doing so. Heretofore it has never been feasible, however, to make all of the horizontal members displaceable or removable, without impairing the strength of the reticulate frameworks to such a degree as to render the rack liable to transverse collapse. because the connections between the displaceable or removable horizontal members and the vertical members have been such as to provide no reinforcement against such transverse collapse. Therefore it has been necessary to weld or otherwise permanently secure at least the lowermost two or three horizontal members to the vertical members to provide reinforcement of the character referred toy and this has made it impossible to use an overhead crane to place loads below the level of such xed horizontal members.

The primary object of the present invention is to make possible overhead placement of all loads in a rack of the character described, without impairing the strength of the rack s as to render it liable to transverse collapse.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide, in a rack of the character described, easily removable horizontal members so connected to the vertical members as to Drovide reinforcement against transverse collapse of the rack.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates an embodiment of the invention and forms a part hereof:

/Figu're l is a broken side elevation of a rack built in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is' an isometric exploded view showing the interlocking of the cross members.

The members of the rack which rest 'upon a suitable support, which may be a oor or the ground, preferably comprise each a channel iron I I Which'may be formed of two angle irons welded or otherwise connected together -as at I 2, running from side to side of the rack. prights I3 are set in the channels and are attached thereto as by welding or other suitable means. These uprights are spaced longitudinally and transversely of the rack and are preferably H beams. Adjacent longitudinally spaced uprights are interconnected by oblique braces Ill, and also by upper and lower horizontal braces l5, I5. The braces are connected to the uprights in any suitable manner; for example, by welding.

The structure so far described forms a series of side by side spaces separated from each other by the upright, horizontal and oblique members referred to above, which constitute wall-like assemblies.

For the purpose of subdividing the spaces between vertical members I3, removable means, each adapted to form a support for one class of the different shapes to be stored, are employed; such means, according to the present invention, functioning also as lateral reinforcements for the unitary wall-like assemblies described above. As shown in Figure 3, these means preferably consist of cross members Il which are easily and quickly connectable and removable, and which connect each upright I3 with the corresponding one in the next adjacent longitudinal row of uprights. Each flange I9 of each upright H-shaped member is cut away to provide slots of bayonet form, horizontally aligned as at 2S and suiiiciently large for the cross members Il to enter the flange, and wide enough at 2| to permit such cross members to move downwardly in the slots.

For the purpose of providing lateral reinforcement for the vertical members I3 and the walllike assemblies of which they form a part, each cross member I 1 is provided with housings or slots I8 adjacent its opposite ends and so dimensioned and positioned as to embrace portions of the flanges I9 adjacent an edge of each of the portions 2| of the bayonet slots in said flanges, forming what is known in carpentry as a dado joint therewith. As shown, the slot I8 is in the lowermost surface of the cross member I1, but it can be disposed alternatively in the surface adjacent the web of the Vertical member I3. The cross members II are also prevented from sliding laterally by such positioning of the notches I8. Connection or interlocking is easily and quickly effected-by moving the cross member first horizontally and then downwardly and the cross member can be easily and quickly disconnected or removed by reversing such movements.

The number of cross members I `I required at any level in a tier will depend on the length and weight of the shapes to be stored. The number of side-by-side tiers can be chosen at will, as can the number of upright members arranged longitudinally.

The rack is filled by lowering a plurality of items of a particular shape into the bottom of a space between uprights by means of a crane, while all cross members I 1 are removed. When the load has been deposited and cross pieces locked into the lowermost positions over the deposited load, a load of perhaps different shapes are deposited on such cross pieces, whereupon cross pieces are locked into the lowermost position over that deposited load. This procedure can be repeated until the compartment-like spaces dened by the uprights and cross pieces contain all the pieces it is desired to store in the tier. A great advantage of this invention is that cross bracing by the members I I increases as the load increases, even though no provision is made for cross bracing other than the load-supporting cross members.

Loading in the manner described is much more economical than loading the shapes lengthwise into compartments, which must be done manually, and it is even more economical to use an overhead crane to remove and replace live superposed loads in recharging the lowermost compartment of any tier than to recharge any compartment by pushing the pieces in endwise by hand labor.

Certain details have been referred to and shown merely -for the purpose of exemplifying the invention, and may be changed without departing from the spirit thereof.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a rack comprising a plurality of reticulate frameworks disposed in tandem and each including aligned vertical and horizontal members; releasable connections between said vertical and horizontal members each comprising a bayonet slot in the vertical member, and a slot in the lower edge of the horizontal member adapted to engage over one margin of said bayonet slot to a suflicient extent to reinforce the framework against collapse in its own plane; another margin of said bayonet slot being disposed so as to prevent horizontal disengagement of the slot in said horizontal member from engagement with said first mentioned margin.

2. In a rack comprising a plurality of reticulate frameworks disposed in tandem and each including aligned vertical and horizontal members; releasable connections between said vertical and horizontal members each comprising a bayonet slot in the vertical member, and a vertical slot in the lower edge of the horizontal member adapted to engage over the lowermost margin of said bayonet slot to a suiiicient extent to reinforce the framework against collapse in its own plane; another margin of said bayonet slot being disposed so as to prevent horizontal disengagement of the slot in said horizontal member for engagement with said rst mentioned margin.

GORDON A. NIELSEN. 

